Scheduled Monument

The Chesters,fort,DremSM90072

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
25/04/1923
Last Date Amended
22/02/1994
Supplementary Information Updated
06/07/2021
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: fort (includes hill fort and promontory fort)
Local Authority
East Lothian
Parish
Athelstaneford
NGR
NT 50819 78274
Coordinates
350819, 678274

Description

The monument comprises a multivallate fort of later prehistoric date surviving as a series of earthworks. It is one of the best preserved examples of this class of monument in Scotland.

The fort is oval with overall dimensions of approximately 250m E-W by 140m. It is defended by a series of ramparts (up to six at any one point) of which none are continuous for the complete circuit. This complexity of rampart design is especially pronounced at the E entrance.

The interior of the fort, measuring approximately 100m E-W by 40m, contains the remains of a number of hut circles possibly representing several phases of occupation. There is every reason to believe that the internal deposits of this unexcavated fort will be extremely well-preserved.

The siting of the fort is highly unusual in that it is overlooked by higher ground immediately to the S, thereby losing much of the potential defensive capability of its ramparts. The environs of the fort contain a wealth of settlement sites and pit-defined field systems which appear to focus on the monument itself. The implication is that the monument was less a defensive stronghold than the central focus of a prehistoric farming landscape.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible features and an area round them to the NE and E in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. In order to include fully the areas of high archaeological sensitivity the scheduled area exceeds the existing Guardianship area. The area to be scheduled is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 370m E-W by 190m as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a superb field monument, exhibiting the characteristics of an Iron Age fort in a classic, even extravagant, form, and because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of high-status settlement in the later prehistoric period.

The exceptional preservation of the site suggests that it could provide extremely detailed information on rampart and house construction and on contemporary domestic organisation. The position of the monument at the heart of an extensive buried landscape of settlement and field systems greatly enhances its significance to the study of later prehistoric settlement and economy.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NT 57 NW 1.

Reference:

Halliday, S. P. (1982) 'Settlement, territory and landscapes: the later prehistoric landscape in the light of the 'Survey of Eastern Dumfriesshire' 'Trans Dumfriesshire Galloway Natur Hist Antiq Soc, 3rd, vol. 76, 91.

Historic Environment Scotland Properties

Chesters Hill Fort

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/chesters-hill-fort

Find out more

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

There are no images available for this record, you may want to check Canmore for images relating to The Chesters,fort,Drem

There are no images available for this record.

Search Canmore

Printed: 28/03/2024 10:30